Applying Array Modifier - Still instance?
No.
They are never instanced, even before the modifier is applied.

The array modifier makes a new copy of the mesh for each repetition, storing the same geometry over and over. This allows other modifiers to make modifications to the mesh as a whole.
Unless you separate them after applying the modifier, they are all one object and part of the same mesh.

So they are never instanced, because they are never actually separate objects.



To instance objects with an array modifier, you could try using the technique in my answer here.